Accountancy firm gaffe disrupts Mothercare rescue plans

The future of 21 Mothercare stores has been left uncertain after the struggling retailer admitted that its advisers, KPMG, got their sums wrong.

Last Friday, the firm said lenders had backed a restructuring plan including store closures and rent reductions. However, it has now emerged that plans for one division had not been approved by the necessary 75% majority.

This division includes 21 stores, of which one was due to close while the rest were due to see lower rents.

On Friday, the mother and baby products retailer had sought backing for a restructuring plan that would have led to the closure of 50 stores.

Creditors voted separately on a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) – which allows companies to shut loss-making shops and reduce rents – for the company’s three divisions: Mothercare UK, Early Learning Centre, and Childrens World.

The retailer originally said that the CVA had been approved. However, Mothercare now says the vote for its Childrens World division, which employs 336 people, had failed “by a very narrow margin” with 73.3% backing the CVA move.

The retailer said the announcement would not affect its other restructuring plans.

Mothercare has nearly halved its store numbers over the past five years as it struggled to react to a changing retail environment.

The company plunged to a £72.8m loss in its most recent financial year, as it took hefty charges to pay for closing stores and reorganising the business.

CVAs have become commonplace this year as a number of big high street names struggle to stay afloat.

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